The next morning, Alex rolled over and realized her body felt like it went through a three-hour CrossFit session. More hurt on her than didn’t. She wiggled her toes thinking that might be a part that wasn’t sore, but she was wrong when one cramped up and she quickly had to flex her foot.
What the hell? How was that possible?
Cade was how it was possible. He made every part of her body tense and come alive, then relax and tense again. She’d never thought it was conceivable to get a full-on workout from sex alone, but he proved her wrong. It would be the last time she’d doubt him.
Once her mind settled on the fact that she was going to be sore for the rest of the day, and maybe even tomorrow, she assessed that Cade wasn’t in the room with her and looked over at the clock. Holy cow it was almost ten. She’d never slept that late.
She swung out of bed and stood up, steadied her legs and then stretched a little bit. That seemed to help somewhat.
Her clothes were nowhere to be found. Another thing that was becoming a habit here. She was guessing they were still in the living room somewhere where Cade had disrobed her then carried her to bed after two mind-blowing orgasms in the living room alone. She was pretty sure he received as many as she did last night. Maybe not. She kind of lost track after they fell on his bed.
She walked into his bathroom and took a nice long hot shower, feeling her muscles start to loosen up a touch. That was something at least.
With her hair towel dried and hanging damp around her shoulders, she walked into Cade’s room just wrapped in a towel. She was going to go in search of her own clothes when he walked in holding them in his hands. “Looking for these?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.
“I seem to keep leaving them in other rooms.”
“How are you feeling?” he asked. “You said your throat hurt last night.”
Her throat. What the heck was she doing? She thought she remembered everything. “Huh?”
He laughed at her. “You did a lot of yelling. You told me to stop after the fourth orgasm because your throat hurt from trying not to yell. It didn’t work, you were pretty loud.”
She felt heat fill her face and then every other part of her body imaginable. “I did tell you to make good on your promise.”
“I believe I did that. Unless you’d like me to try again. I’m always up for second chances.”
“I’m good,” she said, reaching a hand out. “Can I have my clothes?”
“For a price,” he said.
She fought back the groan, barely. She doubted her body could give him another orgasm. Sure she’d like nothing better, but she was positive everybody had their limit and it seemed Cade was finding hers.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“Just a kiss,” he said, walking forward and laying his lips to hers. Softly. Tenderly. Gently. He tried to do that last night too, but she changed it up. Going down the softness route with Cade would be dangerous. She was trying to avoid danger at all costs in her life.
“Can I get dressed now?” she said, fighting the urge to lean into him some more. For anything that he was willing to give her.
Scary thoughts that had no business being in her head when she was telling herself repeatedly that this had to stay in the friends category. That she didn’t have it in her to be hurt again. Especially knowing that if she let her guard down with Cade, it would only hurt so much more than anything else in her life when he decided he’d had enough.
Weeks of lectures were helping a little, but she’d get in his presence and then forget that guys like him didn’t want forever. They didn’t even think about it. And if you brought it up to them, they ran in the other direction faster than Usain Bolt.
“Sure,” he said. “I was just going to see if you were hungry. I’m starving but have held off.”
“You didn’t need to. Have you been up long?” Didn’t all his siblings say he slept all the time?
“Not too long. Maybe thirty minutes before you. I’ll get you some coffee and start the pancakes. I think we could use the carbs this morning.”
“You really are just about perfect,” she said before she could stop the words from tumbling out so foolishly.
He looked startled, then sent her that slow assessing smile he often had. The one that said “Ah, you fell for my ways, my little pretty. Time to enter my web.”
“Why’s that? Because it’s the second time I’ve cooked for you and you haven’t done it for me once?” he said, grinning.
He sure had a way about him. “Now you’re going to make me feel bad.”
“Is that possible?” he asked, watching her while she started to put her clothes on. His stare could turn her to mush.
“Of course it is. Why would you even think to ask that?”
“I wasn’t sure. Some people feel no sense of remorse or hurt in their life,” he said.
“I didn’t think I was giving off the impression that I was one of those people.” She was trying to keep the tone of insult and injury out of her voice.
“You haven’t,” he said, holding his hand out to hers now. She took it hesitantly, trying to get a read on him right now, and they walked into his kitchen together. He sure did like to hold her at times. More than she was used to from a man, reminding her to keep that guard up strong and high.
“Then why say it?”
“Just conversation.”
“It’s an odd conversation,” she said.
“I’ve been known to be the odd duck of the family.”
She was watching him now. She really didn’t know what to make of him or this talk they were having.
“Say what is on your mind, Cade.” The direct approach might be the only way to get her point across, or give her some understanding of where his thoughts were lying.
“You don’t want to hear it,” he said so softly that for a second she thought she was talking to a completely different person.
Gone were his smile and confident swagger, and in its place was someone that seemed to be doubting himself, almost hedging.
She sighed. “Probably not.” She went to open her mouth and say something else but heard her phone ding in the distance.
“That’s gone off a few times. I’m assuming it’s your phone.”
“Yeah. Just a text. I better go see it. It could be work or my mother.”
She walked out of the room and pulled her phone out. Keith. Not who she expected to see, nor this message Call me now. Which she wasn’t even going to consider doing. He had no right to order her around.
“Everything okay?” he asked when she walked back in, his normal self back in place, making her wonder if he was putting up a front for some reason.
“Yeah. Nothing important. Now let’s get those pancakes going because I think my body is still burning calories from the workout you gave me last night.”
***
Cade had lost his chance. She was wavering, he knew. He saw it in her eyes. She understood where he was going with his conversation and he thought maybe she was getting close to opening up. Even if it was just a little.
But her damn phone went off. And even though she didn’t blink an eye or change any feature that it was anything important, it was a break from the direction his train had been heading. There was no putting it in reverse or even turning the train back now. He’d have to find another track to navigate at a different time.
Like how they were more than friends and he was determined to get her to at least admit that much.
“So what are your plans today?” he asked as he started to mix batter in the bowl.
“Not much. I was going to go into the shop at some point and play around with a few things.”
“What things?” he asked.
“Just something a customer asked me for. Some samples.”
“Ella’s glasses for the shadow boxes?” he said.
“She told you?”
He laughed. “No. You just did. She’s been looking at them for a long time and I heard her talking to Brody about them last week. Just feeling him out.”
“Cade! Don’t let her know you found out. I promised her I wouldn’t say a word.”
He winked at her. “Your secret is safe. I promise. And we know I keep my promises.”
She eyed him hard. “I’m counting on you to act surprised. She was really excited about this and searched high and low for exactly what she wanted. It’s taken her this long to get me the glass to test a few out.”
“I won’t say a word. Do you really have to work today?”
“It’s not really work. I’ve got a lot of big orders coming up and sometimes I’ve got to put the extra time in to do these samples. I’ve been able to get staff to do a lot of the work, but some of the equipment can’t be used without me doing the initial draw-up or set-up.”
“How about you show me how you do those things?” he asked, pouring the batter in the pan and turning to see her reaction. He was grasping, he knew, but he just didn’t want their time to end again, to leave him wondering when they’d see each other after he brought her home.
“How about not. It will be boring for you and I don’t need someone looking over my shoulder. Right now I just need to design it on the computer based on the dimensions. It’s CAD at the moment. You’ll do better with the finished product.”
“CAD?”
“Computer aided design. Trust me when I tell you it’s boring for you and it will drive me crazy if you’re standing around staring at me.”
He saw the look in her eye and knew she meant it. The last thing he wanted to do was get on her nerves. “How about if you cook me dinner when you’re done then? This is twice now I’ve cooked for you,” he reminded her again. Would guilt work to get him more time? It was worth a shot in his eyes.
“Think you’re being so smart and charming right now, huh?”
“Is it working?” He flipped the pancakes over, leaning down to inhale the scent. “Wow, these smell really good. Do you have any specialty dishes you cook?”
She walked up to him and slipped her arms around his waist, then laid her head on his shoulder. “You’re wearing me down.”
“That was the plan.” He turned his head and kissed her on the forehead.
“Why don’t you run me back to my car after breakfast? I’ll go do a few things at work and if you don’t have plans today, we can have dinner at five at my place. I guess it’s only fair since you’re cooking me breakfast.”
“I like being fair.”